Daddy's Little Girl
by Twin Shadows
Summary: When one of Kurotsuchi's experiments leaves Soifon a 4-year-old girl, she's sent to the Living World. And who do you think is in charge of her until she's better? Ichigo Kurosaki! Wait, what? Seriously?
1. Chapter 1

**_This is _****_my 2nd story _**so give me a little leniency if/when you review it.

_**P.S. When Soifon talks, it'll be baby-talk; when she's thinking, she'll be articulate again.**_

_**Disclaimer: I claim no ownership to Bleach in any way, shape, or form.**_

**-- TwinShadows**

**Daddy's Little Girl: Chapter 1**

_Forest of Seireitei…_

Captain Soifon of Squad 2 was out Flash Step training. She'd set up targets at various spots in the trees and timed herself to see if she was improving her speed by trying to hit the bull's eye with her Suzumebachi and leaving her Homonka. The tricky part was that the targets were designed to teleport to a different location once one round was completed. So far she was able to hit all 50 targets in 37 seconds; but being the perfectionist she was, she kept trying again and again to be faster.

'I have to be better,' she thought, panting slightly, 'I must show Lady Yoruichi that I can be--' before she could finish her thought…

"NEMU!!! HURRY UP, YOU USELESS SACK OF BONES!!!"

Frustrated at the interruption, Soifon Flash Stepped to give Captain Kurotsuchi and his assistant/lieutenant/daughter a piece of her mind. However, when she got to the clearing where they were in, she was met with an explosion and dosed in unknown liquids.

"Be careful, you idiot!" Kurotsuchi yelled in her face, shaking Nemu by her hair. "Who knows what could have happened if those chemicals had hit someone, especially me?!" Before he could continue with his rant however, a child's voice broke the pause.

"Ya mean wike it did ta me, dumbass?" Turning to look down, both Kurotsuchi's saw a little, 4 year old girl with dark hair tied up into two braids ending with gold rings and draped in clothes that were too big for her, frowning and with her arms crossed, though the effect was ruined with the large flowing sleeves of her haori completely covering her arms.

"How strange," Nemu said, cocking her head in confusion. "That child looks very similar to Captain Soifon."

"I _am_ Soifon, so fix me now bafore I get angwy!"

* * *

_Squad 4…_

"I'm sorry Soifon, but I'm afraid there is little that can be done to fix this situation at this time since you technically aren't injured," Captain Unohana said after she had completed her examination, looking at the newly mini captain. Thankfully, they were able to borrow some of Yachiru's clothes (though Zaraki couldn't stop laughing for a good 5 minutes before he agreed to the request). "At least, not with what we have here in the medical ward."

"Well, who am I supposed ta go to den?!" Soifon complained in her new baby voice. " 'Cause I wefuse ta go da nut who did dis ta me in da first pwace!" she said with a pout. This made Unohana smile; after all, how many times has anyone ever seen a Commander of the Stealth Force act like a real child?

"There is one other person who could probably be able to help you go back to normal, Soifon," she said peacefully, "That is, if you're willing to do anything to end this within the week." hearing this made Soifon's eyes go wide with hope.

"Who is it, Unohana? Who da ya tink--?" but then, she figured out who they were discussing and her face dropped. "Ya kiddin', wight?"

"Unfortunately, not. I'll go tell the Head-Captain to open a senkaimon and to give Kisuke Urahara a fair warning that you're coming. Now, I'm trusting you to behave, so be good." With that, she left the room, leaving Soifon alone with her thoughts.

'Only two things are certain with this outcome: I'll get to see Lady Yoruichi and Kisuke will never let me live this down.'

* * *

_Urahara Shop, 15 minutes later…_

"We-well," stuttered Urahara, waving his fan in front of his face with a big grin on his face, barely containing his laughter, "This is d-definitely something ne-new for ya, isn't it C-C-Captain Soifon?"

"Don't you patwonithe me, Uwahawa; I know yer enjoying this!" she growled. Her gigai, dressed in a yellow-and-black striped T-shirt under a pair of blue jean overalls, was as small and baby-looking as she was in her spirit form.

"Oh come on Kisuke, be nice to her," Yoruichi chastised as she wiggled the tip of Soifon's nose with her index finger. "We both know she looks absolutely adorable." This made Soifon's cheeks start to go a light pink color. Thankfully for her, Tessai came in with a piece of paper in one hand and a tray of teacups, teapot and a juice box in the other.

"Kisuke, the blood work is finished," he said, placing the tray on the table in the middle of the room and handing the papers to Urahara. Turning to Soifon, he put the juice box in front of her. "Drink up, Captain Soifon. A growing girl needs her vitamins."

"Will somebody tell me how wong I'm stuck wike dis?!" After this shout, everyone went quiet, though Yoruichi and Urahara were still sporting smiles.

"Well Soifon," Urahara said seriously, "From what I can tell of the chemicals that Mayuri used, there's good news and bad news. The good news is" he said happily, waving a sign that read 'GOOD FOR YOU!', "The effects from these chemicals are not permanent, so you're gonna be back to normal within the next couple of days!"

"And da bad news?" she said cautiously. Soifon knew from their past that any bad news that came from Kisuke Urahara, you knew there wasn't a storm coming; it was a hurricane.

"The bad news is that, since the chemicals seem to only be reversing themselves while you're here in the Living World and we're going to be busy until you're back to your normal self, you're gonna need a babysitter," he said solemnly, his hat covering his eyes. Soifon just sat there before looking over at Yoruichi and Tessai to check that this was a joke. The look the older woman and the gigantic man had plainly said there was no joke.

"I JUS GET HERE AN YA ALWEADY GETTIN' WID O' ME?!?!" she screamed in disbelief, slamming her tiny hands on the table and making the teacups shake.

"Relax Soifon," Yoruichi said, laying a calming hand on the smaller girl's head. "We trust this one very much and we know he'll take very good care of you until you're better." However, Soifon only heard one word out of the whole sentence.

'_"He?"_ Who is this _"He"_ person?' Before she could open her mouth to ask the question out loud, there was a knock on the door before a preteen boy with bright red hair and an angry expression on his face opened it.

"Hey Mr. Kisuke," Jinta said lazily, "Spiky head's here for Captain Brat." Hearing the word 'brat', Soifon fixed a deadly glare at Jinta, who in turn pulled down his lower eyelid and stuck his tongue out at her. While he was busy with this, a teenager with orange hair walked up behind him, his hand scratching his head in confusion.

"All right, Mr. Hat-and-Clogs, Yoruichi," said Ichigo Kurosaki, the substitute Soul Reaper of Karakura Town. "Now what's so urgent that I needed to come over here right away?" Then, he noticed the little girl in front of him. For a few moments, they stared at each other, neither blinking and then…

"Since when did you two have a kid?" he said pointing at Soifon while looking at Kisuke and Yoruichi. Everyone else in the room fell over in shock at this. "What?" he added with a confused look. "What'd I say?"

* * *

"So let me get this straight," Ichigo said with his eyes closed and his arms crossed in a thinking position. "Because of an accident in the Soul Society, Captain Soifon here is now a toddler." Urahara nodded at this.

"And she'll only get back to normal as long as she stays here in the Human World," he continued slowly. This time, Yoruichi nodded in response to his question.

"And instead of being responsible adults and taking care of her, you called me here so that I can babysit her," he finished before opening his eyes and looking at everyone in front of him.

"You got it!" Urahara said cheerfully, his fan open and a grin on his face…until Ichigo threw the table and hit him in the head, knocking him on his back.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING?!?!" he hollered, his face contorted in rage.

'You know, I'm starting to feel like I could get along with him,' Soifon thought.

"OUT OF EVERYONE YOU KNOW, WHY ARE YOU PEOPLE STICKING HER ON ME?!?!"

'Then again, maybe not.'

"Ichigo," Yoruichi intervened, "I'll admit, it's not fair but honestly, who else is there with your experience with handling kids? Look at your sisters."

"What about Orihime? She loves kids," he argued.

"Yes, but the only people who like her cooking are Rangiku Matsumoto and Tessai here," came her counter-argument, "You don't want lil Soifon to get food poisoning, do you Ichigo?"

"Why 'm I bein' used as a guilt twip?" Soifon muttered.

"There's Chad, he loves cute things so a kid will be no problem."

"Except there might be some people who might mistake him for a kidnapper if they saw a big, muscle-y guy like him carrying a little girl," Urahara added his own opinion.

"Uryu? Rukia?"

"He's an only child who lives alone and although Rukia is 150 years old, she's completely hopeless with how to do deal with kids."

'Okay, I'm ending this right now, if only to stop the fighting.' And Soifon put on the saddest look on her face and looked over at Ichigo. " 'm I weawy so bad dat you don't want me?" To complete the look, she secretly pinched herself so that her eyes started to well up. After all, you didn't get to be the Commander of the Stealth Force just by being a skilled assassin; you also had to be a master at acting when you were in disguise.

Looking over at the little girl he was supposed to be in charge of, he saw her looking at him with big eyes that looked like they were about to spill over with tears. Her lower lip was trembling and her hands held together over her chest. The overall effect on Ichigo: he felt like a real jerk. 'Oh damn it. She's a way better actor than Rukia; guess it helps she looks like Yuzu did when she was 4.'

"All right, I'll do it," he said, hanging his head in defeat; he could just feel the victorious smiles that Yoruichi and Urahara were wearing. "Just tell me how long it'll be before she's back to normal."

"Oh, don't worry about that," Urahara said casually, waving himself with his fan, "Her gigai is specially designed so that when her spirit form returns to normal, it'll become an adult form as well."

"W-wait, what if a hollow shows up?"

"We're gonna tell Rukia and the others about this; heck, we'll even join in if need be."

"But what about her clothes? If her body grows then…" he didn't even finish his thought; his face went red in embarrassment though.

"Oh don't worry, they'll grow alongside the gigai. Now, you two go on and have fun now." Without giving Ichigo a chance to change his mind, Urahara tossed Soifon into Ichigo's arms and shoved them both out the front door.

"Actually, Kisuke, there's a bit of a problem with the clothing that Soifon's gigai is wearing," Tessai said, turning to his employer.

"Oh? And what problem would that be?"

* * *

'Okay,' Ichigo thought as he walked down the sidewalk, holding Soifon's little hand in his own. 'Where am I supposed to take her? I've got no clue what she'd like to do.'

Turning to look at her, he opened his mouth to speak but was cut off. "Before ya stawt sayin' anytin', 'm gonna make it known dat neither of us wants to be in dis situation; I only went wit you 'cause I know dat Kisuke would never stop making fun of me. So don' twy anythin' wit me, ya a--" her mouth got covered by his hand before he looked around before turning back to look at her.

"First off, little kids here don't say stuff like that and second, OUCH!!" he hissed, the latter because she bit his palm, making him remove his hand before using it to point between her eyes. "You do not do that ever. Now, until you grow up again, you're gonna have to pretend to be a 4 year old."

"Well, I don' know how ta do dat," she said, crossing her arms and looking at him crossly. "So yer gonna need ta teach me how to."

Ichigo sighed heavily, scratching the back of his head. "Well to begin with, if someone you don't know talks to you, you gotta act shy; you know, hide behind my leg until you know them better. You with me so far?" She just cocked an eyebrow at him as if to say, 'Do I look like an idiot?' "Next, if someone asks you your age, don't just say your age, or in this case the age you're supposed to be, you holdup your hands like this," he stopped to hold his hands up, the left with jut his index finger extended and his right held the ring, index and middle finger extended, "and say, 'I'm this many!'"

"Why?" Soifon asked, really not getting the point of what he was doing.

"Because people think it's cute when little kids do that; don't know why, it's just one of those things." Unconvinced, Soifon just shrugged and started to walk off before she felt herself being picked up by the underarms and lifted up into Ichigo's arms.

"HEY!!!" she cried. "I can walk by myself!"

"Another thing about kids is they like being carried by grown ups," he explained, placing her head on his shoulder. "We're like moving pillows to them. So just lie down and enjoy the ride, OK?"

Soifon pouted, but shifted around until her head was comfortable and started to drift off. 'If this is how I'm going have to live until I'm normal, I guess I had better get used to this. I wonder how he would take it if I told him he was a really comfy moving pillow. Wait where'd that come from?'

* * *

**_This is a late Father's Day thing I thought up. I hope you all like what I've started, cause next time, Ichigo's gonna face a new problem: his family meeting his new little girl. See ya, and be on the look out for my other story, "Shadows Are Rising."_**

**-- TwinShadows**


	2. Chapter 2

**_For the reviewers:_**

**_kira michi: Yeah, I was hoping it would be something like cute or adorable. So, here's the next chapter for you._**

**_badluck221: Happy you like the idea, but I wasn't really planning on IchigoxSoifon romance for this story._**

**_Grinja: Good to hear from you again. Truthfully, I was saving Isshin for later, but I think I can squeeze him in for a better transition between the end of last chapter and what I have in mind._**

**_Sabaku no Kyuubi: Well most times, family-type stories do have an element of cuteness to everything. Also, your just gonna have to wait and see Isshin in action._**

_**Disclaimer: I claim no ownership to Bleach in any way, shape, or form.**_

**-- TwinShadows**

**Daddy's Little Girl: Chapter 2**

'I know I'm gonna regret doing this,' Ichigo thought as he drudged toward his house, little Soifon leaning her head on his shoulder breathing softly as she slept. Carefully so he wouldn't wake her, he shifted his arm to keep a firm grip on her. He understood why she was so tired; she had just been through quite a bit recently and the nap would probably help her.

'Just stay calm. If you can get the word in before Dad starts, I've got a good chance of explaining the situation and maybe get an idea for an activity to do with her until the effects of those chemicals wear off.' As he reached the door, he pressed his ear to the door, checking for any sounds. After a few seconds, he got a _creak_ of the floorboards. 'There he is.' Then out loud, he called out, "I'm home," as he started opening the door.

On cue, he heard the pounding of running feet before the grunt of his dad jumping up. Quickly, Ichigo shut the door again, hearing a loud _thump_ on the other side. Reopening the door, he saw his dad, Isshin Kurosaki, sprawled out facedown on the floor.

"Excellent…strategy…my son," he groaned out as his body twitched. Karin looked over at the scene from her seat on the couch with a bored expression on her face.

"Just give it up, old man," she said dully, "You're only gonna get hurt if you keep this up." Looking over at her older brother, she noticed the little girl sleeping on his shoulder. "Hey Ichigo, where'd ya get the kid?" This naturally caught Isshin's attention.

"YUZU!! KARIN!! GET DOWN HERE!!!" he shouted, tears streaming down his cheeks. "WE NEED TO CELEBRATE!!!" Two girls came down the stairs, one with sandy-colored hair and a sundress and the other was a petite dark-haired girl in a school uniform.

"What's going on, Dad?" Yuzu said, brushing her light hair out of her eyes. Turning to look around, she heard a whimpering noise coming from her brother's shoulder. She poked Rukia on the shoulder and pointed at the little, black-haired girl rubbing sleep out of her eyes.

"Why's everybody bein' so noisy? 'm sleeping," she muttered looking at the new people in front of her. Immediately, she noticed Rukia Kuchiki in the background, but the others she surmised were his sisters and father. 'Great. I nod off for a minute and I wake up in a madhouse.'

"Oh my beautiful daughters, a miracle has happened!" Isshin said proudly. "My son has delivered me, his father, a grandchild to call my own!!" This was met with a high-kick from Ichigo, Soifon still in his arms.

"Will you knock it off?" he growled. "She's not your grandchild, old man."

"Ichigo, you can't do that!" Karin yelled, standing up from her position with her hands on her hips.

"Ah, Karin," Isshin said, standing up with a black eye for all to see. "It warms my heart that you care about--"

"If yer gonna hit Dad, that's fine; just don't do it while you're holding a kid!" she continued, ignoring her father's ranting.

"Oh, let me see her, Ichigo," Yuzu said, pushing her way to get a better view of Soifon. "Hello little one. What's your name?" she spoke softly, a smile on her face.

'Okay, let's see if this dumbass's advice is worth the paper it's printed on,' Soifon thought before she shifted around so that the left half of her face was pressed against Ichigo's chest and the other side looking out at the group. "My name's Soifon," she said timidly.

"Oh, you're so cute," giggled Yuzu, her eyes sparkling. "Can you tell me how many years old you are?"

'Well, well, well, the moron was right,' Soifon thought, 'Might as well try tip number 2.' She then held her hands the same way Ichigo showed her earlier. "I'm dis many," she replied cutely.

"EEEE!!! She's adorable, Ichigo!" Yuzu squealed.

"She's only been here for less than 5 minutes and already she's got this family under her thumb," Karin said, completely appalled at what she was seeing. 'Though, I guess she's kind of cute. Then again, most tykes are.'

Rukia's narrowed slightly as the corners of her lips turned upward. 'So this is what Urahara was talking about; oh, I'm gonna get a _lot_ of mileage out of this one.' With that thought, she went straight into her act. "Why Ichigo, I didn't know you looked after kids. How do you know this cute, little baby?" The glare that was shot her way went completely unnoticed by Isshin and the twins.

"Well, her older sister goes to our school," Ichigo said, thinking on his feet. "She and her mom caught a cold and they didn't want Soifon to get sick. So when she told me about it, I offered to look after her until they got better. Sorry I didn't ask ahead, but--"

"OH MASAKI!!" Isshin sobbed as he ran to the memorial poster of his deceased wife. "Our son has finally shown that beneath his tough-as-leather exterior, he's got a heart of gold! I'M SO PROUD OF HIM!!"

"You mean you guys really don't mind that I agreed to take on a 4 year old without talking to you first?"

"Ichigo, you're doing a nice thing for a little girl while her family gets better. It's the sweetest thing you can do for someone," Yuzu said, hugging her 'sweet' older brother around his middle.

Karin just cocked an eyebrow before talking. "Is her sister that good-looking, bro?" Hearing this, Ichigo's face went red.

"WH-WHAT?! What's that gotta do with anything?!"

"Why else would any guy offer to watch a girl's baby sibling except to impress a cute girl?" she said plainly. Hearing this, Yuzu went straight to denial and bought a camel.

"NO! NO! NO!" she screamed, getting right into her sister's bored expression. "ICHIGO IS TOO YOUNG TO BE INTERESTED IN GIRLS, KARIN! THAT'S WHY HE HASN'T BROUGHT ANY HOME EXCEPT RUKIA AND TATSUKI!!"

'With a family like this and a mug like his, what sane girl would have the courage to come anywhere near here?' Soifon thought, looking around.

"With a family like ours and a mug like Ichigo's, what girl would have the guts to come within 1 mile of this place?" Karin said, glancing at their Dad, still at the poster.

'At least _she_ seems to have some common sense here,' the shrunken Soul Reaper thought. Turning to her carrier, she pointed and said, "Karin smart."

Hearing this, Karin turned to look at Soifon. Moving closer, she patted the smaller person's head. "I like this kid. She's got a good head on her shoulders."

"You're just thinking that 'cause she called you smart," he replied, a tick forming in his right eye. "I'm gonna take Soifon up to my room. Call us when dinner's ready."

"Wait up, Ichigo," Rukia said sweetly, moving to walk behind him. "I haven't gotten to know Soifon at all; let me play with her, _pwease?_" To add to the baby voice, Rukia threw in the puppy-dog eyes.

"Fine, whatever," he muttered as he climbed the stairs. Turning around, Rukia gave a curtsy and followed the two.

"Just don't do--" before her dad could even start saying the embarrassing thing on his mind, Karin grabbed the collar of his shirt and brought him down to eye-level.

"Now listen up and listen good, you old goat," she said, eyes showing that she meant business. "Until that innocent little girl is gone, you are forbidden from doing the following things." She ticked them off her hand as she continued. "Saying anything related to baby-making, doing your morning 'wake up call' for Ichigo, shouting at the top of your lungs, especially when she's having her nap, and **definitely**, no saying anything that implies her being your granddaughter."

With the final finger down, she pushed her closed fist on her father's nose. "Any violation of these or anything else that will scar her and I will deliver a punishment unto you so fierce that the mob will beg to know the secrets behind it. _Capisce?_"

Isshin was so stunned by this; all he could do is nod silently which was probably a first for him. Yuzu was also severely shaken. This was the first time (that she knew of) in which her sister actually went violent to someone.

"Good," she said before returning to her spot on the couch and watching TV. "Hey Yuzu, ya better check on dinner. And make sure there's something for Soifon to eat as well?"

'Oh my goodness, she's showing maternal instincts,' Yuzu thought before covering her mouth and heading to the kitchen. "A mother bear's maternal instinct, but maternal instinct nonetheless. I'm so happy for her!"

* * *

When Ichigo shut the door to his room, he turned around and placed Soifon on his bed before turning back to look at Rukia, wearing a smug smirk on her face. "All right, say it. I know you're dying to."

"Why Ichigo, whatever do you mean?" she replied, her eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Can we get to da point, Wukia Kuchiki?" Soifon said angrily, crossing her arms. "I got no time for dis foowishness."

"Sorry Captain, I'm just messing with Ichigo," she said bowing before turning back to the male in the room. "Urahara has already informed me about this and frankly, before now, I thought he was pulling my leg."

"Yeah," Ichigo sighed, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "Well, I mean, I didn't count on it but, I-I mean--" Rukia held up her hand to silence him.

"Stop Ichigo, I get it; you won't be fighting hollows while you're taking care of the bab—I mean, Captain Soifon. Besides, it's not like I can't take care of myself. SOOOOO…" and this is where she got a cheeky smirk, "you just worry about your 'classmate's baby sister,'" here she used air quotes, "and I'll just do a little overtime with the others until this is all over."

"A-HEM," Soifon cleared her throat, sitting cross-legged on the bed. "If you two are done, I want ta know what I'm gonna do til 'm back to normal. Fo' example, where do I sweep?"

"WHY, YOU'RE SLEEPING RIGHT NEXT TO ICHIGO, OF COURSE!!!" came Isshin's booming voice from the other side of the door. Everyone jumped at this, though Ichigo was the only one jumping towards the door to open it.

"HAVE YOU BEEN SPYING ON US?!?!" he yelled angrily, pulling the door open and making his father fall face first on to the floor before straightening up and pulling Ichigo into a headlock.

"I just came up to tell you all that dinner is ready when I heard our little guest ask that very important question, which had an obvious answer," he said matter-of-factly before his son elbowed him in the ribs and flipped him onto his back. "So obviously, since you're taking care of her, she has to stay with you at all times, including nighttime."

'Well, at least I know I'll have a god night's sleep with him being such a comfortable pillow,' Soifon thought as her 'pillow' tossed his dad out the doorway and slammed the door shut, panting heavily.

"I'm hungwy; let's go get dinner," she said hopping down from the bed, stumbling and tripping to hit her head on the floor. "OWIE!!" she cried, clutching her forehead, tears starting to form. 'Oh my god; did I just say something as juvenile as "OWIE"?'

"Here, let me look at you," Ichigo said, moving to crouch down and moved her hands to look at the place where it hit. "Doesn't look so bad; but just to be safe, I've got the cure that works with _all_ owies, boo-boos and any other hurt you can come at me with," he added with a smile.

'I thought Ichigo didn't know kido,' Rukia thought with a frown. 'So how can he--' her question was answered before it was even asked as Ichigo placed his lips on the red mark on Soifon's forehead in a gentle kiss.

"It's another thing that we grown-ups do for kids: kissing the hurt from any injury away," he explained with a pleasant smile.

Both girls went red at what they were seeing; Rukia was blushing because this was a side of Ichigo she'd never seen before and couldn't stop herself from thinking he'd make a good father someday. Soifon, however… --SLAP--

"Who said you could kith me, HUH?!" she yelled, red with anger and embarrassment.

"You fell and hit your head; most parents act the exact same way with their kids in this situation," he growled to her. This snapped her and Rukia out of their daze and turned their focus onto him in an instant.

'Did he just say, "parent?"' they thought simultaneously. Ichigo just stared at them in confusion for a minute before his eyes widened, realizing what he just said.

"I-I mean as a generalization," he said quickly, waving his arms defensively. "Come on, Yuzu's got dinner ready for us," he added hurriedly, rushing out of the room.

"HEY!!" Kon said, pulling open the closet door to complain. "Would you keep it down out here? Some of us--" he stopped when he saw Rukia before jumping out to wards her. "RUKIAAAA!!!!" She just kicked him out the open window.

Soifon looked at her curiously. "What was dat?" she asked pointing.

"Don't worry about it, Captain," Rukia replied smoothly before she picked up the miniature girl to carry her downstairs. "And don't worry about Ichigo; he probably forgot you were older than him and just treated you like he would have his sisters when they were younger. It'll all be over when your back to your original figure." Unknown to her, Soifon looked down sadly.

'Why does knowing that make me feel…so sad?' she thought glumly as they sat down to eat dinner.

* * *

**_Next time: fun, family and…WHOA, where'd that come from?!_**

**--TwinShadows**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer: I claim no ownership to Bleach in any way, shape, or form.**_

**-- TwinShadows**

**Daddy's Little Girl: Chapter 3**

The next day, Karin got up to make sure that her Dad remembered her words from last night. Going to the door of his room, she could hear loud struggling from inside, along with banging on the walls and the sounds of "Excellent counter Ichigo, but how about this?! HA! I knew I'd get into your defenses…clever feint, but I saw it coming!"

'He snuck Ichigo from his room to spar?' she thought. Quietly, she turned the door knob and peeked through the gap in the doorway. There was Isshin, swinging his fists and throwing kicks at… noone?

"Oh-Ho!" he declared, hopping back. "You think you can use my own attack against me, do you my son? Well, let's see how far that gets you!"

'I think I might've sent him over the edge,' Karin thought, closing the door silently and tiptoeing backwards until she bumped into someone, at least if the "Whoa," was anything to go by.

"Karin? What are you doing sneaking around this early in the morning?" Rukia's voice came. Turning around, the younger girl regarded her closely. Despite the way Rukia acted like she was completely innocent, Karin knew she was involved with her brother's activities as a Soul Reaper. She was sure that, though she had no proof, Rukia knew something about this little girl that Ichigo was watching. For now, Karin didn't view her as a threat; but if she got evidence to the contrary, she'd pay dearly.

"Sorry for bumping into you, Rukia," she said, "I was just making sure that Dad was keeping his word that he wouldn't attack Ichigo while Soifon was around. Turns out he's sparring himself in his room as a substitution."

"Well, that sounds like your dad all right," Rukia replied, smiling sweetly. Karin cocked an eyebrow at this.

"Riiight," she said slowly, "Say, would you mind waking up my bro and Soifon?"

"Sure, no problem," Rukia said before moving towards Ichigo's bedroom. Shrugging, Karin went downstairs to get some breakfast.

"Ichigo, it's time to get up," Rukia called, opening the door and looking at the scene before her. Ichigo was lying on his bed, left arm stretched up to his headboard. His face was missing his usual scowl while he slept, giving him a peaceful appearance. On his chest with Ichigo's right arm wrapped around her, Soifon was sleeping, her right hand gripping softly onto his shirt while her left hand was curled into a fist with the thumb stuck firmly in her mouth. As she was sleeping, she would occasionally nuzzle her face into Ichigo's torso.

Even with the strange circumstances that had led up to this moment, it was still an adorable sight to Rukia.

"That's so cute," she whispered, before moving towards the bed and gently shaking the sleeping young man to wake him. "Ichigo, it's time to get up."

Groaning, he opened his eyes to look at her. "Rukia, what're you doing in my room? Is Dad sick or something?"

"No Ichigo," she said straightening up and crossing her arms. "He's fine. But you should thank Karin and Captain Soifon when she wakes up. Apparently, your sister convinced your dad not to do the normal wake-up call until Soifon's gone and back with her 'sick sister and mother.'"

"Karin did that?" he asked, sitting up. Then he felt a tugging on his shirt and looked down to see Soifon cuddling up to him.

"Mmm…no movin'," she muttered through her thumb which was still in her mouth. "Too sweepy. Need five mo' minutes."

"All right, five minutes," Ichigo sighed, "But then, I'm taking you own for some breakfast. Deal?" He got her head rubbing up and down in a nod as a response, before he turned to Rukia. "Can you please tell my family that I'll be down in 5?"

"You know, I'm not your secretary," she said indignantly, "I feel that you can--"

"Pwetty pwease Wukia?" Soifon asked, looking up at her with a sleepy gaze, letting go of Ichigo's shirt to rub her eye and yawned cutely, the tip of her thumb still in her lips. 'Oh, she's totally playing dirty,' Rukia thought hopelessly, feeling her resolve crumbling away at the sight.

"Well, just this once," she conceded before walking out and turning back to look at the two, "And I'm coming back in five minutes, so you'd better be ready." With that, she closed the door.

"Looks like you're getting the hang of this Soifon," Ichigo said offhandedly, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

" 'm a fast wearner, Ichigo," she replied with a smirk. "Now, pwease be quiet. I got five minutes of sweep weft and you is wastin' dem." With that, she plopped her head back onto his chest and closed her eyes, sighing contentedly.

"Wouldn't you prefer the bed?" he asked. She shook her head.

"You comfier. You better than a bed," she said firmly, "I like listening to you heartbeat." 'Did I just say that?!' she thought startled. She was shocked more when Ichigo gently stroked her hair.

"Just be ready to go down to eat when Rukia comes back, okay?" Soifon just nodded, enjoying the feeling of being petted while listening to his heart, though she didn't really understand why.

* * *

"Time's up," Rukia said, knocking on the door and stepping back as it opened.

"We're coming," Ichigo said, walking out with Soifon by his hand. Turning to look at her he said, "Hope you're hungry. Yuzu makes some of the best food you could taste. So you either smile and say, 'Yummy!' for tasty food or make a face an say, 'Yucky!' for the bad tasting ones."

"Gotcha," she said before asking, "Do people _always_ carry little kids around?"

"Nope, only when they get hurt, they need to get something that's too tall for them to get normally or when they need to get somewhere in a hurry. Otherwise, it's expected that if they can walk, that they do."

'Got it; seems like infants are extremely dependent on others for their survival,' she thought as she walked down the stairs. Secretly however, and if anyone asked she would outright deny it, she was a little disappointed that she wasn't going to be carried often; it was becoming her favorite way of travel. When they got down, they saw Isshin in the corner, fighting an unseen opponent, and Yuzu and Karin at the table eating breakfast.

"Hey Ichigo," Yuzu said cheerfully before bending down, "And good morning to you, sleepy head. Hope you like pancakes." This got a confused look from the child.

"Pan…cakes?" Soifon asked, trying out this new word.

"She's never had pancakes before?" Karin asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Well, in that case," Yuzu said, "You're in for a treat, Soifon. I've just finished making a fresh stack." Using the spatula, she placed, what looked to Soifon, two round disks on a plate before pouring a brown goo on top of them and placing the whole plate in front of Soifon. "Do you need Ichigo to cut them up for you?"

"I can feed meself," Soifon said pouting, wanting to prove she wasn't a helpless baby. Grabbing a knife and a strange utensil with four prongs in her hands, she stabbed the disk with the pronged thing, which was what she guessed was this 'pancake', and expertly sliced it with the knife into small sections before taking the section that had been stabbed and putting it in her mouth.

Chewing, she analyzed the taste. 'It's actually not bad. Oh my god, was that a blueberry I just ate? That's a nice surprise. And what is this gooey substance? It's very sweet.' Looking up, she saw the brown-haired girl who had made it looking at her. 'Oh right, she wants me to tell her what I think of it.' Smiling, she giggled before saying, "Yummy! Yummy!" before returning to eating her new dish. 'There. That should be enough for her to be happy.'

"She likes it!" Yuzu squealed before hugging her brother and Rukia.

"Even better!! She's smart enough to use a knife and fork like a big kid!!" Isshin said, leaping up and clapping. "This makes today's activities all the more exciting!!"

"What activities would those be, Mr. Kurosaki?" Rukia asked, slipping straight into her innocent girl act. Isshin smiled knowingly, wagging his finger at her.

"First of all, Rukia," he spoke seriously, "I told you to call me 'Daddy,' since you are my third daughter."

"No, she isn't," Ichigo said plainly, though he was ignored.

"And secondly," Isshin continued, "We'll be taking little Soifon to the carnival and we're gonna have family fun!!" He concluded this exclamation with a point upwards.

"Yeah, sounds like fun," Yuzu said. Karin just shrugged muttering, 'Not like I got anything better to do with my Saturdays.'

"Oh, I'm so sorry everyone," Rukia said, smiling sadly, "But I can't go; I've got too much work to do. But if you see a Chappy the Rabbit, could you guys get it for me?"

"You heard her, my son," Isshin declared loudly, slapping Ichigo on the back hard, "It's up to you to get her the prize if we spot it." This got him a backfist to the jaw, sending him the floor.

"How'd ya figure that it's my responsibility?" he said angrily. Rukia pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and proceeded to dab at her eyes, pretending to cry.

"I-I didn't mean to cause such trouble for you, Ichigo," she fake sniffled. "I was just hoping for a little something since I couldn't join you all."

'Oh come on,' Soifon thought, finishing off her pancakes. 'Who'd be so stupid as to buy that pathetic performance?'

"Oh Masaki," Isshin cried out, "Our son's cruelty has wounded our third daughter's little heart. Where did the kindness go, mother? WHERE?!?!"

"Probably because you made _him_ the one to get it when she was asking all of us," Karin added dryly.

"Look," Ichigo said, picking Soifon up, "I'm gonna clean Soifon up and then we'll go. If, and only _if_, we see the stupid doll, we will _try_ to get it. Everyone happy?!" Silence followed. "Good. Glad we understand each other." He then took Soifon to the kitchen to clean her up.

"MY SON!! YOU HIDE BEHIND YOUR ALOOF LAYER OF TOUGHNESS, BUT YOU STILL SHOW MY GRAND--" before he could finish, his head was introduced to the floor by Karin's foot.

"I thought we discussed that Dad," she growled pushing her foot harder onto his head.

* * *

"Ya still haven't said what a carnival was, Ichigo," Soifon said, frowning. They'd left the clinic and driven to the parking area about 10 minutes ago and the whole time, Soifon had asked Ichigo to tell her what they were doing, but he had just said she'd have to see for herself. Now, they were next in line to get their hands stamped so they'd be able to get in, and she was getting frustrated.

"Fine," he relented as the stamp lady let them go through the gate. "_That's_ a carnival," he said pointing.

Soifon's eyes widened as she saw it all. There were colorful lights everywhere, music coming from the strange machines, people carrying stuffed toys and eating weird foods. Large structures, and rides moving in all kinds of ways. Booths and tents lined up for activities and games and clowns making balloon animals for people.

"Wow!" she exclaimed. Turning to look at Ichigo, she saw he had a knowing smirk on his face.

"Told ya you had to see it for yourself," he said, winking. Blinking, Soifon turned away, not wanting to admit that he was right that she would get a better experience if she saw it firsthand.

"Now, remember," Yuzu said like a mother lecturing her unruly children. "We meet up at the Ferris Wheel in 2 hours. Then we only have one hour to do things as a family. Do we all understand?"

"Yeah, yeah, we get it, Yuzu," Karin said dismissively as she walked away. "I'm gonna start with the House of Mirrors and work my way around. Later."

"Come on, Yuzu! We gotta get in line for the rides now or we'll never get to ride them before time's up," Isshin said excitedly, pulling the younger twin along with him.

"Bye Ichigo, take good care of Soifon," Yuzu called out before she and her father melded into the crowd, leaving Ichigo holding Soifon's hand.

"I guess we could start with something simple," Ichigo said, scratching his head.

"Like what?" Soifon asked, looking up at him with a frown.

"How about getting our faces painted?" he suggested with a shrug.

"You humans like to have people mark your faces with colored dyes for fun?" she asked incredulously. 'How filthy can humans get?!'

"You get to choose what gets painted on," he countered before leading her over to the tent. "Here, I'll go first to show you how it's done."

Sitting down in front of the artist, he pulled Soifon to stand next to him. "Hey, it's her first carnival and she's nervous about getting her face painted. Can you draw something on me to show that it's fine?"

"Sure," the artist said, reaching for her paints. "Just tell me the design and color of paint you want and I'll put it on."

"Just a crescent moon right here," Ichigo said, tracing his finger along the right side of his face next to his eye. "And for color…I guess I'll go with black."

"Oh, trying to look tough, huh?" she said sarcastically before putting the paintbrush into the black paint and the tip of the brush onto Ichigo's face in a curved line. "Okay, that should do it."

"Hee hee," Soifon laughed, pointing at him, "You look funny."

"Yeah? Well now _you_ get to pick something," he replied before picking her up and placing her on his lap. "Just so you know, the brush tickles your skin."

"All right sweetie," the artist said to the little girl, "What would you like me to draw?"

"A bwack cat here," Soifon said, pointing to her left cheek before pointing to the right one. "And a yellow and bwack bee here."

"Well, you certainly more creative than this guy," the artist joked, laughing as she got her paints ready. The groan that came from Ichigo's throat indicated that he didn't appreciate the jab at him.

As she painted Soifon's cheek, the girl getting painted started to squirm. "Hon, I can't do want you want if you keep moving around like this."

"But my face feels funny when you do dat," Soifon complained. Ichigo put his hand on her shoulder, making her look up to his face.

"Like I said," he explained, "The brush tickles. Just look at me and ignore the feeling and it'll be over before ya know it." Soifon nodded and sat still as she felt the wet paint covering her cheeks, never taking her eyes off the young man holding her.

"There we go," proclaimed the artist, "Now, was that so bad?"

"No," Soifon admitted, looking in the mirror on the table. 'All right,' she thought, 'So this wasn't as bad as I had originally anticipated. Not like I'll tell Ichigo that. Wait, when did I start calling him by his first name?'

"So, what do you want to do next?" Ichigo asked, holding her hand again as they left the tent. But before she could speak…

"IIIIIIIIIIIIIIICCCCCCCCCCCCHHHHHHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGGGGGGGGGGOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!"

--WHAM!!--

"Oh, hey Keigo," Ichigo said casually, as though he hadn't just clotheslined his brown-haired friend who was now twitching on the ground. Looking around, he saw Mizurio and Tatsuki coming towards him. "Soifon," he whispered, "Act like a kid." He just got a stare that said, "No duh."

"Hey Ichigo," Tatsuki said when they got close enough. "Didn't expect to see you here."

"Family dragged me along," he replied shortly. Mizurio looked down to see Soifon holding Ichigo's pant leg, acting shy by hiding behind it.

"Well hello there," he said pleasantly, squatting own to eye level. "What's your name?" At this, Tatsuki looked to where Mizurio was talking at and saw her too.

"Ichigo," she said slowly, pointing at Soifon. "Care to explain this?"

"Her name's Soifon," he replied, putting one hand in his pocket and the other on top of said girl's head. "I'm looking after her while her mom and older sister are under the weather."

"Well, that's real nice of you Ichigo," Mizurio said, smiling at his friend.

"OH ICHIGO!!" Keigo said, bawling, "You really are a swell guy!"

"I'm guessing she's why you've got that mark on your face," Tatsuki said, pointing at the crescent next to his eye. "I can only say, this sister of her's had better be good-looking if you're going through all this trouble."

"For crying out loud," Ichigo groaned, "Is it so unbelievable that I'm doing something just because it's the right thing to do and there isn't any ulterior motive to this business?"

The three others just looked at each other before answering at the same time. "Kind of."

"Ichi…" came a cutesy voice. Looking down, he saw Soifon with her arms extended to him. "Up."

"Soifon, when you want something, you say 'please'," Ichigo explained, "And if someone does something nice for you, you say 'thank you' to them. Understand?"

"Yes," she said, her eye twitching slightly. 'Just you wait,' she thought angrily, 'I'll make you suffer for this indignation!'

"Now ask me again, this time with 'please' and 'thank you'," he instructed.

"Up, pwease?" Soifon asked, making wide eyes at him. Nodding, he bent own and scooped her up into his arms.

Unfortunately, Soifon had already figured out how to hurt him. Like most tough guys, he prided himself on appearances and it would compromise that image if he were seen with public displays of affection. So…

"Tank you, Ichi," Soifon said, smiling happily, "I wuv you." And she wrapped her arms around his neck to hug him and then, for a final touch, she gave him a peck on his cheek.

"Aww," Tatsuki and Mizurio cooed with Keigo hugging himself and making kissing sounds at him before they all broke own laughing. Ichigo's face went red in a combo of anger and embarrassment. He knew that he couldn't do anything to get back at Soifon for this, but he also didn't like being made fun of by his friends.

"She must re-really like you Ichigo," Tatsuki gasped. "Only-only way that she'd have the guts to-to do that to a face like yours."

"I guess she thinks that all big brothers look like him," Mizurio chuckled out. Keigo, naturally, was laughing too hard to speak.

'Well, well, well,' Soifon thought mischievously. 'Now _there's_ something I can go on. But let's crank it up a level.'

"He's no broder, siwwies," Soifon said turning to look at them, smiling widely. "Dis is Daddy."

That statement made everyone present fall silent. Tatsuki looked at the two wide-eyed and mouth gaping. Mizurio just blinked in shock. Keigo was trying to speak.

"Da-Da-Da--" but he couldn't do anything beyond that. Mizurio lifted his hand silently and brought it down on Keigo's back.

"'DADDY'?!?!" he hollered, getting up in Ichigo's face. "WHAT DOES SHE MEAN BY 'DADDY'?!?!?!?!"

"Daddy, 'm scawed," Soifon whined, turning to hide her face in his neck and hugging his neck tighter.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Ichigo muttered to her.

"Big time," she said smartly, and Ichigo could feel the muscles on her face turn into a smirk. "Don't mess wit me, bwat."

* * *

_**Hope you all had a nice 4th of July and enjoyed the fireworks**__**.**_

**--TwinShadows**


	4. Chapter 4

_****_

Disclaimer: I claim no ownership to Bleach in any way, shape, or form.

**-- TwinShadows**

**Daddy's Little Girl: Chapter 4**

Snapping out of her stupor, Tatsuki started trying to make sense of the situation. "O-okay, let's keep calm." Turning to Soifon, she asked, "Now, how old are you Soifon?"

"I'm dis many," Soifon said cutely, going through the paces again.

Sighing in relief, Tatsuki smile, secretly glad things were falling into place. "And do you know how old Ichigo is?"

"Noooo," she replied, blinking and tilting her head to the side. 'Now that I think of it, I know nothing about this boy.'

Grabbing Ichigo's free hand, Tatsuki put it alongside both of hers with all fingers extended on the three hands. "He's this many Soifon, same as me, Mizurio and Keigo."

"How come she said my name last?" Keigo whimpered, but he was ignored.

"So, 'Daddy' is just how she sees him," Mizurio chuckled nervously, sweat dripping on his temple.

"Well duh," Tatsuki proclaimed, looking at him. "That would mean Ichigo did um," she pause to glance at the "innocent child" her friend was holding, "became a parent when he was 11. That's just impossible."

'Yeah, like I don't know what she's implying,' thought both Soifon and Ichigo.

"Admit it, Tatsuki. You were just as freaked as--" Keigo groaned as he was punched in the face by the black belt.

"You really shouldn't antagonize her, Mr. Asano," Mizurio commented, dragging Keigo away by his feet, the downed boy muttering, "Why do you call me that?"

"Is he bwain-dead or someting?" Soifon asked with a frown, this time forgetting to act cutesy. Ichigo just shrugged at her question.

"Well, maybe I'll see you two around," Tatsuki said before ruffling Soifon's hair. "Bye-bye, Kiddo." Then, turning to look at Ichigo, she said, "Try not to corrupt her too much, okay?" With that she turned on her heel and walked off, ignoring the glare sent to her back. When she was out of sight, Ichigo placed Soifon down and stared angrily at her.

"What was that, Soifon?" he asked, getting to the point.

"Don't deny it," she replied, crossing her arms. "Yo' fwiend is a dumb--"

"That's not it and you know it!" he cut her off. "I'm referring to freaking them out by calling me Daddy!" At this she smirked superiorly, eyes dancing with mischief.

"Well, dat's what you deserve fo' tweating me wike a child," she replied smartly.

"You _are_ a child; what's so difficult to understand about that?"

"Da idea dat _you_ tink you can lecture _me_!!" she yelled. "_I_ am ova 200 years old and you tink dat, just because I got shrunk, you getta tell me what ta do." Ichigo blinked at that. He _had_ completely forgotten that Soifon was a Soul Reaper, due to the fact that the only Soul Reaper at that size was Yachiru. Naturally, he fell into the notion of dealing with Soifon as the little girl he saw her as, so he would concede that, in a way, he did deserve the act she put on.

"Look," he sighed, scratching his head and squatting down to meet her at eye-level, "I'll admit, I stopped thinking that you were older than me, but you gotta get it through your head that, while you are still a child, you're my responsibility and I need to treat you like you're a child because, since you don't understand a lot of the things in my world, in a way you _are_ a child; and I'm gonna be the one to teach you about this stuff so you won't need me to do those things for you. So until you're grown up again, we're both gonna have to be a little more tolerant of each other. Understand?"

"…Only if ya agree to carry me wong disdances," Soifon said, glancing off to the side. "And I'd wike a black cat plushy to take home wit me too."

"Why do you like black cats so much?" Ichigo asked, raising an eyebrow. Soifon's cheeks started to get warm.

"Because I tink Lady Yoruichi is da best," she muttered. Looking back, she saw Ichigo stare blankly at her before shrugging and reaching out to pick her up.

"Well then, let's go get you your cat," he said with a smile and placing her on top of his shoulders. "Just keep your hands on my head so you don't fall backwards, all right?"

Soifon grinned at the idea at getting her plush toy. "OK!" 'Well, not as comfortable as his shoulder or his chest, but at least I get to say I'm taller than he is.'

* * *

"Over dere!" Soifon called out excitedly, patting Ichigo's head and pointing to one of the game stands. Nodding, he walked over to take a look. The game was a game of ring toss. Fortunately, among the prizes was a plush black cat. Unfortunately, it was on the top shelf of the prizes shelf where you had to get all the rings on the bottles to claim it.

"You get three rings," the guy at the stand said after Ichigo paid him the money. "The more rings you land on the bottle necks, the better the prize you'll receive. Good luck." Ichigo took one of the rings and started lining up the shot before he felt Soifon tapping him on the top of his head. Looking up, he saw his cargo looking back, their noses touching.

"I do it," she said firmly, making sure there wasn't any room for arguments. Sighing, he put the rings down and lifted her off his shoulders and onto the countertop. This got a chuckle from the man who was leaning off to the side to watch.

"Well man I gotta say, you ain't the first one to let a kid try to win a prize," he said with a grin right until he saw Soifon shoot all three rings onto the bottles perfectly, "But you are the first with a kid to land the big prize on her own," he added, a stunned look on his face. Clearing his throat, he continued. "Now, little lady, what would you like?"

"The bwack kitty pwease," she said, pointing. The cat toy was leaning on the side of another plushy: a tiger curled up on its side. So when he brought both stuffed animals down and put them in Soifon's arms, she was confused. "Tank you, but I jus' wanted dis kitty, mister."

"Actually," he explained, "They're one. It's a strange pair but somehow, they just seem to say, 'Daddy and Baby'; even though they don't come from the same world, they just work together."

"Oh, okay. Tank you," Soifon said as Ichigo picked her up and placed her back on his shoulders before putting the combo plush under his arm and both waved as they left. Once they were away from the stand, Soifon asked, "Is gettin' dis a good ting?"

"Yeah, it's called a 'two-for-one' deal so you know it's good," he explained. "So, what else would ya like to see?" Before she could answer, Soifon's stomach grumbled and being so close to Ichigo's ears, he couldn't miss it. "Sounds like we're getting you something to eat."

"No meat," came the immediate response.

"No meat, what Soifon?" Ichigo asked, nudging her side gently.

"No meat _please_," she corrected herself.

"That's right," he said, smiling as he headed to the food stands. "Now, I think it's time that you learned about pizza. And don't worry; I'll get you the plain cheese."

'Pizza? Well…I guess if it doesn't have meat...'

* * *

Looking down, Soifon examined the weird triangle on the paper plate in front of her. It appeared to be melted cheese on a red sauce all on top of a slice of bread. The whole thing looked like it was leaking grease. "_Dis_ is what humans eat?" she asked Ichigo incredulously while he ate his own slice of pizza.

"Don't knock it until you try it," he replied coolly after he finished his mouthful. "It actually tastes pretty good, if you put it in your mouth before it gets cold."

Looking back at the pizza slice skeptically, she picked it up and took a bite. The cheese stretched as she pulled away before a piece tore from the rest and hung from her mouth as she chewed thoughtfully. Sucking in the hanging bit before chewing the rest and swallowing her bite, she blinked before turning back to him. "Pwetty good, but it feels gweasy."

"Yeah, that's part of the appeal," Ichigo smiled before giving Soifon a napkin. "Wipe your chin. You've got pizza sauce there." She pouted as she wiped her face quickly but carefully. "Oh, and kids don't wipe their faces like that; they really just rub the area hard until it's gone."

"You don't espect me ta stay dis way foreva', do you?" she asked, frowning at him.

Glancing back at her, he shrugged. "I don't get what the big deal is. I'm just treating you the way I'd treat my kid if I have one when I'm older and married. Didn't you get treated like this when you were originally this young?" He was surprised when Soifon looked down sadly.

"Tings fo' my famiwy isn't like yours, Ichigo," she said slowly. "The Fon famiwy has always served in a Stealth Force under da Shihoin Clan for as wong as da Soul Society has existed. And, if we failed to enter da Stealth Force, we were to be exiled fwom da famiwy." She lifted her head to look at him in the eyes, her eyes starting to water. "All of us know it from we are vewy young."

Ichigo was shocked to hear this. He knew things were definitely wacked in the Soul Society, but to do something like threatening someone that they'd kick them out of the family just for not doing something, especially to a young child, was horrific. 'I guess if Byakuya could let Rukia be executed, I shouldn't be surprised about little kids being threatened with abandonment if they didn't please their parents.'

"But you know what?" she continue, shaking her head to get rid of the strange urge to cry. "Dat's ancient histowy. I made it in da Stealth Force, met Wady Yoruichi, and now, 'm a captain, so it all--" she stopped when Ichigo stood up to kneel in front of her, placed his hands on her shoulders and stared hard into her eyes.

"Is that the reason you like Yoruichi?" He said seriously. "Because she treated you like you were more than a soldier; that you felt like you were wanted as a person?"

When he said that question, Soifon realized just how personal the two of them were getting if she made him feel like he could ask her about details of her life. 'Why am I telling this to _him_ of all people? He doesn't get to probe into my psyche just because he has spent one day with me!' This thought made her angry at the man- 'No, boy!' she reminded herself- in front of her.

"I DON'T HAFTA ANSWER YOU, ICHIGO!!" she screamed before hopping down and kicking him in both shins and sprinting off. Ichigo, rubbing his shins to stop the pain, stared after her before grabbing the toy she forgot and started going after her.

'Man,' he thought, 'For a shorty, she sure can run. But why did she run off like that to begin with?'

* * *

'If I have to spend another minute with that meathead, I'm going to lose my mind!' Soifon thought as she ran through the crowd. She didn't know where she was going and she didn't care. All she wanted to do was go somewhere and hide from the fool who was doing everything she had been raised not to be. That in itself was strange, since Soifon couldn't remember ever running away from anything. Even some of the hollows she had faced had been monstrous and she'd faced them down without breaking a sweat.

Yet here she was, trying to get as far away from one guy who had asked her a question and threatened her understanding of how the world works. She looked up to see where she was and found a small building with the sign, "Fun House," in front.

"Perfect," she said, panting. "Ichigo looks wike someone who hates fun." With that, she snuck in through the door and went inside.

* * *

"Come on, come on," Ichigo muttered to himself, running and dodging other people. "Where is she? I just had her in my sights."

He'd tried to catch up to her so he could get a clue to what he had done wrong so he could make up for it, but because she was so small, he'd lost her in the crowds. 'Man, I shouldn't have pushed her with the questions. She's just a little…well a short girl anyway.'

Then, he saw a little girl with Soifon's braids going into the fun house attraction. 'Oh, that's just great. The security here sucks if a 4 year old can sneak into anyplace.' He started picking up the pace to try and get her before she went in too deep.

* * *

******_Hope you enjoy this. I'm gonna try to get the next chapter done as soon as I can. Also, just so that people will know, I'm not going to make this a romantic IchigoxSoifon fic; it's gonna be a father-daughter relationship._**

**-- TwinShadows**


End file.
